Graduate School Bulletin

Announcements/Deadlines

Admissions

• CollegeNET has released a beta Administration Systems. When you sign on to your administrative page you will see an option to use the new system. Feel free to take a look at their new interface. The old system will still be available for about a month, after which the new system will be switched to production. Please give any feedback to
  
  Jeremy Sippel so that we may pass it along to help CollegeNET make this as reliable as possible for us.
• The online Admissions Analysis process, developed by Administrative Information Systems in cooperation with the Graduate School, will be released to production on Monday, May 2, 2005 . This new process will streamline the flow of AA “forms” to and from departments, eliminating the paper AA form altogether. In order to gain authorization to make program admission recommendations you must attend a training session. Your department head must inform the Graduate School of the employees that will utilize this process to record the departmental recommendation decisions. Initial training was offered on April 28 and 29, 2005, with additional sessions to occur once each semester, pending demand.
• Please ensure that all online admission analysis decisions for international students whom you wish to accept have been processed before May 15, 2005.
• The Fall 2005 deadline to accept international students residing outside the United States is May 15. Since the visa application process may take 3 to 4 months, we must allow sufficient time for students to make all their arrangements. International students are expected to arrive in Blacksburg no later than August 15 and participate in the mandatory international student orientation on August 18. Any exceptions for specific international students must be discussed with an immigration advisor (Zelma Harris or Ruth Athanson) in the Graduate School . You may send an email to
  
  igss@vt.edu with details about the student’s situation. Decisions will be made on a case by case basis after evaluating the applicant’s chances of receiving the immigration paperwork and applying for a visa in time to arrive by August 15.
• A banner report, SYRB601, allows departments to generate a list of all applicants that still are awaiting a decision.
• If a student wishes to decline an offer for Fall 2005, please notify the admissions office. Request for deferral must be made to us by the department and will not be processed upon a student’s request. An application fee will be charged to those students deferring from Fall 2005 to Fall 2006. (Application fee is good for one academic year).

Commencement

Blacksburg: The Graduate Student Commencement Ceremony will be held Friday, May 13, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum.

Check-in will begin at noon and end at 1:00 p.m. Doctoral and master’s candidates will receive additional instructions at this time. Certificate awardees will be asked to stand and be recognized during the ceremony.

Please visit the Virginia Tech Commencement website for check-in times, caps, gowns, and other related materials.

If you need additional information, please contact our office at 540/231-4669.

Doctoral candidates will receive their diplomas on stage. Education specialist and master’s diplomas and certificates will be available until 6:30 p.m. after commencement in the Graduate School, Sandy Hall for those finishing by the published deadlines. A photo identification is required for pick up.

National Capital Region: The 25th Commencement Ceremony in the National Capital Region will be held at the Center for the Arts in Fairfax, Virginia, at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, May 15, 2005 .

Commencement Speaker: Claire Fraser, Ph.D.
President and Director
The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR)

A reception in the main hall will immediately follow the ceremony. Invitations are now available at the Graduate Student Services Office or the Resource Center in the Northern Virginia Center .

Information for Degree Recipients: The deadline for applying for a degree through the online system has passed, however, students may still apply with a paper AFD if all requirements are completed. You also need to check with your department to determine if it requires any additional forms for graduation.

If you are planning to attend the commencement ceremony, please complete the attendance form available on Hokie Spa and submit it online.

Any questions about commencement should be directed to the Graduate Student Services Office at 703/538-8321 or by e-mail to gsso_ncr@vt.edu. Many other questions (invitations, academic apparel, photography, etc.) are answered on our Commencement Page.

Graduate Life Center
Beginning June 15, departments may reserve meeting rooms in the Graduate Life Center for regularly scheduled meetings. Contact information will be e-mailed to departments in June.

GTA Workshop
The 15th Annual GTA Workshop (Phase I) will be held August 15-17, 2005. The workshop will consist of Plenary sessions 1:00-5:00 on Monday August 15, concurrent sessions on teaching and learning 9:00 to 12:00 on Tuesday and sessions on e-Resources 9:00 to 12:00 on Wednesday. Phase II offerings will be in September. All new GTAs are expected to attend the Workshop and enroll in GRAD 5004 (P/F; 1 cr) (CRN 92944). Please share this information with your incoming graduate students.

Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees
In keeping with our planning process for graduate education at VT, I’ve attached a copy of the 2005–2006 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD). You will see the list of degree proposals that have been “pre–approved”, the wish list of future degree proposals, and a working timeline for implementation. For those degree proposals that have been “pre–approved”, faculty should work within their college structure to develop the full proposal for institutional review.

Changes in Policies/Procedures
[ February 16, 2005 ] The Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies approved a change in the deadline for ETD submission policy from:

Deadline for Submission
Final version of the thesis/dissertation/major paper (ETD) must be submitted electronically to the Graduate School no later than two weeks after the successful completion of the final examination. If this deadline cannot be met, a request (by e-mail is preferred) for an extension should be sent to the dean of the Graduate School by the advisor.

to:

Deadline for Submission
The final version of the electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD) must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than two weeks after the successful completion of the final examination. If this deadline cannot be met, the advisor must send a request for an extension (e-mail is preferred) to the dean of the Graduate School . Late submission of an ETD (other than with an approved extension) will require the student to be enrolled.

It was noted that major papers, or project and report, are a distinctly different publication and do not need to follow the ETD publication route.

[ March 2, 2005 ] The Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies approved a change to Policy memo 230 [Awarding of the Graduate Certificate] as follows:

Be it further resolved that proposals to offer graduate certificates should include the following:

1. Rationale and need for graduate certificate. Target population to be served.

2. Identification of admission requirements. Graduate certificate programs must have admission standards that are similar to related graduate degree programs.

3. Identification of course requirements. Graduate certificate programs must use approved graduate coursework. At least two-thirds, including all core courses, must be graded on an A-F basis. Graduate certificate requirements must include a minimum of 9 Virginia Tech graduate course hours. A maximum of 33% of the course credits may be at the 4000 level.

4. Identification of members of the faculty associated with the graduate certificate program.

Imaging System
The Graduate School Imaging System RFP is in the final steps. We are hopeful that the Office of Information Technology Acquisitions (ITA) and university Legal Council will finish within the next couple of weeks. The ETA given by ITA is within the next four weeks.

Announcements/Deadlines

• Brochures for the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown are available to share with current and prospective students. Please contact Monika Gibson if you want brochures to distribute.
• April 29 — All doctoral candidates who wish to participate in Graduate Commencement must complete all requirements including approval of the ETD.
• The training sessions for the Online Admissions Analysis (AA) form will be announced to Deans, Department Heads, and Directors early next week. These sessions will cover overall process information, as well as technical information on how to utilize the form to indicate departmental admissions recommendations.
• Please remind your faculty and students that final examinations should be scheduled at least two week prior to the examination date. This allows enough time to review the student’s file for degree completion requirements and prepare the examination cards. Thank you.

Graduate Education Week
NCR: The National Capital Region hosted its second annual Graduate Education Week (March 14-18). The week’s activities consisted of job networking, informational sessions on balancing a career, family and education, graduate student research exposition, library resources, online tutorials (e-recruiting-career services, element K, Atomic Learning, VT Online Wellness Resource Center) and movie night.

Blacksburg : The 5th Annual Graduate Education Week, held March 21–25, featured events that celebrated the achievements of graduate students and brought attention to developments in graduate education. The week was centered around the theme "Celebrate, Explore, Envision", and the events coordinated by the Graduate School offered students fun celebrations, resources for personal and professional development, and an opportunity to learn about the future of graduate life and scholarship. Photographs, listings of award winners, materials, and schedules of Graduate Education Week are available here.

15th Annual GTA Workshop
The 15th Annual GTA Workshop (Phase I) will be held August 15–17, 2005 . The workshop will consist of Plenary sessions 1:00 to 5:00 on Monday August 15, concurrent sessions on teaching and learning 9:00 to12:00 on Tuesday and sessions on eResources 9:00 to 12:00 on Wednesday. Phase II offerings will be in September. All new GTAs are expected to attend the Workshop and enroll in GRAD 5004 (P/F; 1 cr) (CRN 92944). Please share this information with your incoming graduate students.

Copyright Information and ETDs
ETDs are reviewed for format and checked for compliance with applicable university, state and federal guidelines, including the Federal Copyright Law (Title 17 in the U.S. Code). Figures, tables, images and other items reproduced or adapted from third party sources must meet the criteria established by the Copyright Law to be included in the published ETD. Items must be clearly cited and documented as specified by the Copyright Owner. It is the responsibility of the author to obtain the permissions from the Copyright Owner. The Graduate School reserves the right to request the written documentation of the permission before the formal ETD approval and the completion of one’s graduate degree.

Annual Progress Review
It is important that departments conduct an annual progress review of graduate students as outlined in Presidential Policy.

Please utilize this policy in developing and implementing departmental guidelines for conducting annual progress reviews for your graduate students. I also encourage you to incorporate the opportunity for graduate students to read, review and respond to these reviews. These reviews should be conducted during the spring semester and shared with your graduate students in preparation for the next academic year. Please share the results of your review with the Graduate School . We also request a copy of the departmental guidelines for our files. Please send a copy to Roger Avery by July 1, 2005

Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL)
In March, Virginia Tech established a chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda, a honorary society that recognizes academic excellence and leadership among high achieving graduate students at Virginia Tech. The society was founded in 1990 with the objective of providing an honor society to recognize leadership and scholarship of outstanding graduate and professional students. The ceremony was held on March 22nd and nine graduate students were initiated as charter members.

ACC Traveling Scholars Program
Now that Virginia Tech has joined the ACC, our graduate students are eligible to participate in the Inter–Institutional Academic Collaborative (IAC) Traveling Scholars Program. This program enables doctoral–level students to take advantage of distinctive educational opportunities at any other participating ACC university. Visits may be as short as two weeks or as long as two semesters. A limited number of relocation stipends of up to $1000 per individual are available upon application. Further details are available in the Graduate School Deans Office.

News from the National Capital Region
Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center in the National Capital Region was one of the first stops recently for 12 university administrators from the Near East and North Africa on a 21-day International Leadership Program tour sponsored by the Bureau of International and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and key contact, Marcie Boucouvalas, professor and program director, Adult Learning/Human Resource Development, Virginia Tech. The visitors hailed from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Yemen . While the discussion spanned a wide variety of topics related to the U.S. system of higher education, Virginia Tech programs related to adult learners and adult education and the use of technology for academic purposes were of primary interest to the visitors.

Upcoming Open Houses in the National Capital Region:
The Northern Virginia Engineering Department will have an Open House April 20, 2005 , 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM , Northern Virginia Center . If you would like more information, please contact Sarah Channing at 703/535-3440.

The Public Management & Public Policy Department will have an information session, Wednesday, April 6, 2005 in Old Town Alexandria 6:30 pm – Master of Public Administration (MPA) 7:30 pm – Ph.D. in Public Administration . If you would like more information, please contact Irene Jung at 703/706-8123.

Announcements/Deadlines

• Graduate Education Week is March 21-25. For the full schedule of events, click here.
• Fall 2005 GTA workshop will be held Monday (August 15) afternoon and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

Updates/Reminders (from the February Workshop)

• Departments are encouraged to conduct a preliminary review of applicants’ files (prescreening) and make recommendations for admission or non-admission based upon this review. This review can be done before the Admission Analysis form is issued.
• The AA form will be issued by the Graduate School when our file is complete (application, payment of fee, official transcripts, and official TOEFL scores) OR by departmental request for specific students. If the Graduate School file is incomplete at the time of request, this will be noted on the form. Departments can still make their recommendations for admission or not.
• The AA form will become an automated form this semester and we will provide training when automation is implemented.
• We have initiated the first phase of “eAdvising” from the Graduate School. Each semester we send an e-mail to students without an approved Plan of Study reminding them to file a Plan of Study. Currently, the e-mail goes only to the student. In the future, we will send a list of all students receiving the e-mail message to the designated person in the department. This process was initiated to assist department and faculty to help graduate students make timely progress toward degree completion. More eAdvising through e-mail communication will be forthcoming.
• Assuming negotiations go well, the long awaited “Imaging System” will become a reality sometime during the spring semester. As planned, the system will be a university wide operation that will enhance departmental and Graduate School functionality. Once the negotiations are completed, we will hold an information session. Stay tuned for the next phase of “going digital in graduate education.”

Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
In August 2005, the Donaldson Brown complex will be transformed into graduate housing and the Graduate Life Center. Early in 2006, the Graduate School will move into the first two floors of the Alumni Hall portion of the complex. The place and programs will become a signature component for the Graduate School’s Transformative Graduate Education initiative and reflects our emphasis to build graduate community. More information about the Graduate Life Center, tours of the facility and brochures will be available during Graduate Education week.

Changes in Policies/Procedures
A brief overview of recent changes in policies/procedures was presented and discussed at the February Workshop. These included:

• The policy regarding Visiting Graduate Students now specifies that enrollment for these students normally is limited to one calendar year or 18 credit hours.
• A statement of clarification in the wording of the procedures for Final Examination (Master’s) includes the following: “Normally, the advisory committee will carry out the examination, and can be supplemented by additional members as appropriate.”
• Regarding Probation policy, the wording was changed to: “A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a “B” (3.0) average will be placed on probation by the Graduate School. Departments will receive a copy of the letter for their review and recommendation, if any.”
• ETD submission section was edited to include only thesis/dissertation and omit the major paper (project and report) from the ETD requirement. In addition, a sentence was added: “If the deadline cannot be met, the advisor must send a request for an extension (e-mail is preferred) to the dean of the Graduate School. Late submission of an ETD (other than with an approved extension) will require the student to be enrolled. ”

Welcome back to the start of a new semester and a new year!

Announcements/Deadlines

• Proposals for the 05-06 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) is due March 1, 2005
• Graduate Education Week is scheduled for March 21-25
• New Graduate Student Of The Year Award Announced — application deadline Feb 4, 2005. Virginia Tech will select two graduate students (one male, one female) to be honored for their outstanding achievements and contributions to professional and campus organizations, involvement in the graduate community, and their commitment to diversity. These graduate students will be named the 2005 Graduate Students of the Year. Recipients will be recognized at the USLA ceremony and the Graduate Student Awards Banquet during Graduate Education Week.
• Spring 2005 Defending Student Status Jan 17-Feb 13
• Spring 2005 Application for Degrees and Certificate Conferrals due by March 1 in order to have names printed in commencement bulletin.

Personnel changes in the Graduate School
On January 17th, Dr. Anne McNabb, Professor in the Department of Biology, joined the Graduate School as half time Associate Dean. Her responsibilities will include Teaching Assistantship Training, Interdisciplinary graduate programs, and working with Transformative Graduate Education initiatives.

After over 30 years of service to Virginia Tech, Dr. Don McKeon retired effective December 31, 2004. Dr. McKeon will continue to assist the Graduate School with English language training for international Teaching Assistants (ITA) during the spring semester. Questions regarding international students should be directed to

Ruth Athanson , phone: 231-9561,

Zelma Harris , phone 231-9561, or

Marija Telbis-Forster , phone: 703-538-3743 in northern Virignia. Questions regarding GTA Workshop, please contact

Dr. Anne McNabb , phone: 231-5645.

Effective January 2, 2005

Marija Telbis-Forster was appointed as the NVC/NCR Student Support Administrator. She will supervise the graduate student services office (GSSO) at Northern Virginia Center working closely with Ms. Debbie Payne and Ms. Aniene Porter. Ms. Telbis-Forster will continue to serve as an immigration specialist providing important services to our international students in northern Virginia. Shortly, we will begin a search for another GSSO staff member.

Spring Workshop
On February 17th, 10 a.m – noon, we will hold a spring workshop for graduate program directors and program assistants. The purpose of the workshop will be to update departments on policy and procedure changes and answers questions regarding graduate education. Included in the discussion will be new procedures for tracking international students’ status from admission to immigration form issuance — new tools and tricks for academic departments.

Reminders
As you recall, we have implemented a priority system for processing admissions:

24 Hour Requests. If you have a need to receive the AA forms from the Graduate School, or should you need a priority decision to be placed on a student, please contact

Angie Webb . Such requests will be processed within 24 hours. Examples are not limited to but would include the following: Student needs acceptance in order to register by deadline. Student needs acceptance in order to put assistantship into Banner by deadlines. Department is interviewing top applicant and needs information. Acceptance needed in order to process international paperwork in certain circumstances.

Rush Requests. If you need to have the AA forms within 5 days, please contact

Angie Webb . We will process the files and prepare the AA forms within 5 days.

Specific deadline requests. Please continue to inform Angie Webb of the dates by which you intend to make decisions and we will work with you to get the files completed in a timely fashion for your review.

Announcements/Deadlines
The Graduate School is currently seeking nominations for the graduate student awards that will be presented during Graduate Education Week for academic year 2004-2005. Forms and deadlines for Graduate Student Awards are now available.

December Commencement
December Commencement is scheduled for Friday, December 17, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. Check-in for all candidates begins at 1:30 and ends at 2:30 p.m. Faculty who are processing and hooding professors should be lined up no later than 2:30 PM in the Practice Gyms at Cassell Coliseum. The procession will begin at 2:45 and ceremony begins promptly at 3:00.

Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD)
The call for proposals for inclusion on the 05-06 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees is attached along with the current IPGD. Please review these documents and submit your proposals by March 1, 2005 to the Graduate School.

Health Insurance premium for Fall ‘05
Effective Fall 2005, the university has decided to cover 70% of the insurance premium (at the single rate) for graduate students on assistantships (GA, GTA, GRA). Although the actual cost of the health insurance premium has not yet been finalized, this is a substantial increase over the subsidy for health insurance provided over the last few years. The percentage covered will increase to 90% in no more than 2 years. This program replaces the subsidy program in that graduate assistants (GTA, GRA, GA) will need to be enrolled in the university sponsored health insurance program in order to receive the financial benefit. In your assistantship offers, you can include a statement regarding health insurance coverage along with stipend amount and tuition remission.

Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
The Graduate School is strongly committed to building graduate community at Virginia Tech. A significant accomplishment is the decision to convert Donaldson-Brown into graduate housing and a graduate life center. In the Fall 2005, the first floor of Donaldson Brown will become a Graduate Life Center and the upper floors will be available for graduate students who wish to live on campus. The Graduate Life Center will include office space for GSA, other graduate student organizations, and the BOV graduate student representative. In addition, we are planning meeting spaces for graduate student organizations, library resource space, seminar rooms, technology area, a coffee shop, wellness space and a lounge. Wireless technology will be available throughout the building. Sometime during Fall 2005, the Graduate School will move its operations into the mezzanine and second floors of Alumni Hall. The plans will be finalized over the next few months.

Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies (CGS&P)
The commission has placed a limitation on the amount of time a student may spend in the “visiting graduate student status”. The requirement will now read:

Visiting Graduate Student
A graduate student in good standing at another university may be permitted to take graduate courses by submitting a Visiting Graduate Student Letter of Approval, available in the Graduate School office or at http://www.graduateschool.vt.edu. This status is normally limited to one calendar year or 18 credit hours.

The commission has changed the language that describes the membership of the master’s final examination committee.

Final Examination (Master’s)
An oral and/or written final examination is required of all master’s programs (see departmental policy for specific format). Please review the preceding sections on Registration, Scheduling of Examinations, and Completion of Examinations for appropriate information. Normally, the advisory committee will carry out the examination, and can be supplemented by additional members as appropriate. For some non-thesis master’s programs, final exams are not structured as above. For more information about such programs consult the departmental policies and procedures document.

Update on Imaging system
We are currently in the final stages of selecting the vendor for the new Imaging System for the Graduate School. The bid and review process has extended longer that expected but we hope to announce the vendor shortly. Implementation will begin late Fall/early Spring with the Graduate School and will be extended to departments soon thereafter. This is a positive step forward toward increased effectiveness and efficiency in processing applications.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
’05-’06 INSTITUTIONAL PLAN FOR GRADUATE (IPGD)
The Graduate School is beginning the process of preparing the 2005-2006 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees. This will be comprised of a list of degree programs that are approved for development to begin during the 05/06 academic year. The intention is that these programs would be implemented no later than Fall 2008.

We anticipate that colleges will review and select from proposals generated by their academic units. We would like to receive the college-approved proposals by March 1st so that we can finalize the 05-06 IPGD by the end of the Spring 2004 semester.

Please provide the following information (in two pages or less) for degree programs you wish to have considered for inclusion on the plan:

• Need and Demand for the degree
• Target audience
• Faculty resources to be utilized
• Graduate courses (existing and proposed) underpinning the degree
• Conformity with the VT Strategic Plan particularly with regard to research emphasis and interdisciplinary nature
• Source of financial support
• Anticipated implementation date
• The proposed degrees currently listed on the wish list will be considered for pre-approval in this review cycle. Please review the current “wish list” and indicate those proposals that should be removed from consideration. The 04-05 IPGD is attached.

Please send proposals to Roger Avery in the Graduate School by March 1, 2005.

Projected Growth of PhD students/College Plans
At the September 29^th Workshop, the business plan for increasing PhD enrollment by 900 by 2010 was presented and requests for proposals (RFP) for funding new assistantships for PhD students and funding of innovative recruitment strategies were announced. Please see the powerpoint presentation used during the session. To summarize the workshop and the contents of the powerpoint:

1. In order to reach our goal, each college was asked to articulate their contributions to the growth. The College Plans are due November 1.
2. The goal for Fall ’05 is 100 new PhDs, 51 to be funded from sponsored research or private funds/endowments, and 49 to be funded from E&G sources.
3. The Provost has provided funding for 49 additional PhD students for Fall ’05. The program is called PhD 2010 Assistantships. Requests for these assistantships (2005-2010) are to be included in the college plans.
4. Colleges will be notified about the disposition of their requests in mid-November so that departments can incorporate these into their strategic recruitment plans for Fall ’05, Fall ’06 & Fall ’07.
5. I also announced the Graduate Dean’s Assistantship program (approximately 20 assistantships) for innovative, or interdisciplinary efforts. These can be requested directly to me by November 1.
6. There’s also some funding to support innovative recruiting efforts and departments can send their requests for recruitment funds to me by Nov 1.

Cunningham Doctoral Scholars Program
Last year we officially changed the Cunningham Fellows program to the Cunningham Doctoral Scholars Program. I encourage you to use these for recruitment of top doctoral students

Health Insurance for graduate assistants
Health insurance is a critical issue for the recruitment and retention of graduate students. For Fall 2005, the university has made a commitment to fund a substantial portion of the premium for graduate students on assistantship. The exact amount and percentage will be confirmed shortly. Current and incoming graduate students will be provided with health insurance coverage as part of their offer of assistantship (GA, GTA, GRA). Details will be forthcoming.

ETD Workshop
We have now developed an ETD online workshop. Please share with your department and post. Thanks.

eNewsletter
I’m pleased to announce our newest publication – Graduate School eNewsletter that will be published quarterly. The Monthly Memo from the Graduate Dean will continue to provide monthly updates and announcements while the eNewsletter will focus on people, programs & events and will highlight accomplishments of graduate students.

Deadlines for International Students
The Spring 2005 deadline to accept international students residing outside the United States is November 1. International students are expected to arrive in Blacksburg no later than January 13 and participate in the mandatory international student orientation on January 14, 2005. Departments may request an exception for specific individuals by contacting the immigration advisors (Zelma Harris or Ruth Athanson) in the Graduate School. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis after evaluating the applicant’s chances of getting the immigration paperwork and visa in time to arrive by January 13.

Next Monthly Memo:

Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) – Call for Proposals
Relocation of the Graduate School
Health Insurance premium
CGS&P activities

Welcome back! I look forward to another exciting year for graduate education at Virginia Tech.

This monthly memo will be a bit longer because I want to provide some reflections about our progress to date in addition to the regular policy/procedure changes, announcements, Graduate School updates, and reminders. I hope you will find this information helpful. Please share with faculty, staff and students in your department.

Reflections

This academic year marks a significant milestone for graduate education at Virginia Tech. There is strong interest in and support for graduate education among the Board of Visitors, especially by the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) that identified graduate education as one of its three priorities (faculty affairs and diversity are the other two). A business plan for graduate education has been shared with the AAC in which I outlined the steps for increasing PhD enrollment with attention to competitive offers to graduate students (assistantship stipend, tuition remission, health insurance) and building a strong graduate community (e.g., housing, child care). Within the university community, the Graduate School’s initiatives under the umbrella of Transformative Graduate Education (TGE) continue to be well received including the new Graduate Certificate in the Future Professoriate. The Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD) provides a roadmap for a systematic approach to developing new graduate degrees.

In the last two years, the Commission on Graduate Studies & Policies (CGS&P) has been very helpful in advancing the graduate education agenda. The Graduate Student Assembly and the Graduate School have worked closely to “build graduate community” among the graduate students and faculty by sponsoring academic and social events throughout the year. Another significant accomplishment is the distribution of the Building Graduate Community: Expectations for Graduate Education document to university constituents this fall. Numerous policies and procedures were changed to enhance the graduate education experience at Tech.

Priorities for this upcoming year include increasing graduate enrollment by 900 PhD students by 2010, developing a strategic recruitment effort, pilot testing the Graduate Program Review process, and implementing an “Imaging System” for digital processing within the Graduate School and ultimately throughout the university. We will continue to examine existing policies and procedures and recommend changes for increased efficiency and effectiveness. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Announcements

• Recruitment workshop: September 29th from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center auditorium
• The first “Dialog with the Dean”: September 28, 5:30-7:00, 238 Squires.
• GSA Graduate Professional School Day: September 28, 2004
• Deadline for application for degree and certificate conferral for Fall 2004 graduates: October 1, 2004
• Associate Dean of the Graduate School position vacancy.
• We will notify you as soon as the Graduate Catalog (04-05) is online (anticipate Oct 2004)
• Actions of the Commission on Graduate Study & Policies (CGS&P) & University Council (see Memorandums from the Dean)
• Independent study courses are being set up at the department level and require no approval beyond the department. Independent Study courses will remain as a P/F graduate course and will carry the generic title of Independent Study. Independent study should be used as a supplement to the graded graduate courses required on a plan of study.
• GRE scores will no longer be a requirement of the Graduate School. The decision to require GRE scores should reside with the faculty at the department or college level and the Graduate School will support your decision to use GREs (or GMATs, etc.).
• The University Council approved a revision to the Annual Progress Review process (Presidential Policy #229). Please utilize this policy in developing and implementing departmental guidelines for conducting annual progress reviews for your graduate students.
• Graduate certificate guidelines (Presidential Policy # 230) have been approved and are available for departments wishing to offer graduate certificates.
• Changed the requirement of vita as required for ETD to optional
• Approved guidelines for departments to offer a Bachelor’s/Master’s program option beyond that currently available for Honors students.
• New wording for requirements for second Master’s degrees.
• CGS&P approved the document entitled “Building Graduate Community: Expectations for Graduate Education at Virginia Tech”
• Doctoral candidates must have an advisory committee of at least four faculty members (change from 5 members to minimum of 4).
• Minimum Master’s degree requirements have been changed.
• Addition of description of the manuscript format for presenting thesis or dissertation.
• For the Department of Accounting and Information Systems (ACIS), the current identification for graduate degrees were changed from General Business, Accounting (GBUA) to Business, Accounting and Information Systems (BACIS)
• For the Department of Business Information Technology (BIT), the current identification for graduate degrees was changed from Business Management Science (BMSC) to Business, Business Information Technology (BBIT).

Reminder: Reviewing Applicant files and Requests for AA forms
The Graduate School will continue to implement a priority system for departmental requests for AA forms. Please know that you can request an AA form before the applicant’s file is complete, especially for those top candidates you wish to attract to Virginia Tech. But it is important that academic units screen applicants’ files and send us the names of the individuals you wish to recommend for admission. We will not be sending copies of the files because the information is available to you through Banner.

Recruitment Efforts
Recruitment of graduate students is high priority for Virginia Tech. On September 29th , 2-3:30 (DBHCC), the Graduate School will sponsor a session on recruitment. We will discuss the plan for increasing graduate enrollment and articulate effective recruitment strategies to reach our goal. In addition, I will be announcing a request for proposals (RFP) for funding of innovative recruitment efforts and a RFP for funding new assistantships for PhD students.

First Graduate Alumni Homecoming
The first graduate alumni homecoming was held on September 11, 2004 at the University Club. Over 100 graduate alumni joined Graduate School staff, Alumni Relations staff, and current graduate students for a brunch with music and conversation prior to the first home football game against Western Michigan University. WMU President, Dr. Judith Bailey, is a graduate alumna of Virginia Tech. She received her MS (1973) and EdD (1976) from Virginia Tech. By all accounts, the event was a success and plans are underway to hold an annual homecoming event for graduate alumni/ae. Graduate alumni received a flash drive as a gift from Graduate School and the Office of Research.

Building Graduate Community: Expectations for Graduate Education
Last spring, we finalized the document entitled Building Graduate Community: Expectations for Graduate Education at Virginia Tech in which we describe our commitment to, and identify our responsibilities for, quality graduate education. This was a collaborative effort of the Graduate Student Assembly, Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies (CGS&P), and the Graduate School. The document has been sent directly to all faculty and administrators. The copies for the graduate students were sent in bulk to each department. Please make sure that each graduate student receives a copy. Posters have also been sent to academic and administrative offices for posting.

Deadline to accept international students for Spring 2005 – November 1
The Spring 2005 deadline to accept international students residing outside the United States is November 1. Since the visa application process may take 2-3 months, we must allow sufficient time for students to make all their arrangements. International students are expected to arrive in Blacksburg no later than January 14 and participate in the mandatory international student orientation. Departments may request an exception for specific individuals by contacting the immigration advisors (Zelma Harris or Ruth Athanson at

igss@vt.edu) in the Graduate School.

Fellowship reception in The Grove
The second annual fellowship reception hosted by President Steger for graduate students holding prestigious fellowships and scholarships is scheduled for October 26. Invitations will be sent to students and their advisors in the next few weeks.

As this year comes to an end, I would like to say thanks to all who have helped enhance graduate education at Virginia Tech! Our progress is a collective effort and I’m pleased with our accomplishments. So, thanks!

As usual, I’ve included some announcements and updates in this monthly memo. Please share this information with faculty, staff and students in your department.

Commencement is a very special event for our graduate students and the university. This year we will introduce some new features including recognition of the recipients of official graduate certificates, performance of an original musical composition celebrating commencement, and visual reflections on the year. Please encourage graduate students, faculty and staff to attend.

Announcements

• Graduate Commencement will be held on May 14 at 3:00pm in Cassell Coliseum.
• Northern Virginia Center Ceremony will be held May 15 at 8:00pm at George Mason University.
• Graduate Congressional Fellowship available to work in Congressman Boucher’s office. Please send nominations to Dr. Roger Avery.

Reminder: International Students must be accepted by May 15, 2004 (see March memo).

An addition to the Banner report, SYRB601, allows departments to review and sort the list of applications that are still waiting for a decision. The report provides a data file that you can pull into an Excel file so that you can sort the data by student name, ID, campus, application status and citizenship status. A recently run report showed that there were more than 2000 international applications for Fall 2004 that were waiting for decision at various departments. Please run and review this report and make sure that the admission analysis forms for all international students you wish to accept for Fall 2004 are returned to the Graduate School by May 15, 2004. If you need assistance with how to run the report, please contact

Zelma Harris.

The application fee is good for one academic year. A new application fee will be charged to students who wish to defer their admission for a year or more (e.g., defer from Fall 2004 to Fall 2005).

Recent actions of the Commission on Graduate Study & Policies (CGS&P) & University Council

• Doctoral candidates must have an advisory committee of at least four faculty members (change from 5 members to minimum of 4).
• Minimum Master’s degree requirements have been changed as follows. Please note that departmental requirements have not changed and in many instances, departmental requirements will exceed the minimum.

	Minimum Total Graduate Credits	Minimum Graded Graduate Credits	Minimum Research Hours
Thesis	30	201 (12 credits of 5000-level or higher)	6
Non-Thesis	30	242 (15 credits of 5000-level or higher)

¹A maximum of 12 credits in 4000-level courses (approved for graduate credit) and 6 credits total in 5974, 5984 and 6984 courses.
²A maximum of 9 credits in 4000-level courses (approved for graduate credit) and 9 credits total in 5974, 5984 and 6984 courses.

• New wording for requirements for second Master’s degrees as follows:
  

  The requirements for a second master’s degree are the same as for the first master’s degree: an additional 30-54 hours, depending upon the degree sought. A student working on a second master’s degree may transfer up to 50% of appropriate courses (see the section entitled ‘Transfer Credit’).

• Addition of description of the manuscript format for presenting thesis or dissertation. The body matter for a manuscript format will vary but generally contains the chapters of the thesis or dissertation, in logical order, each with its own title. Chapter titles may include: Introduction, Literature Review, Chapters 1+ (Title, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion & Conclusions), Overall conclusion, Data summary, Overall model if appropriate (text or illustration if appropriate), Bibliography and Appendices (if needed).
• For the Department of Accounting and Information Systems (ACIS), the current identification for graduate degrees were changed from General Business, Accounting (GBUA) to Business, Accounting and Information Systems (BACIS)
• For the Department of Business Information Technology (BIT), the current identification for graduate degrees was changed from Business Management Science (BMSC) to Business, Business Information Technology (BBIT).

Working with SYRB601 Report in Banner

• In the initial Banner screen, type syrb601, and enter. This will open a Process Control Submission Form.
• Click in the box below Printer, and the word ‘webdist’ should pop up.
• Click in the box called Values, and yellow highlighting should appear, with three categories in the right column—Site Code, Major Code and Term Code.
• In the Site Code box, type which campus you want to review. In Major code, type in your Major Code. In the Term code, type in the relevant term, for ex., 200409.
• Click in the bottom box marked Submission, and make sure the radio button next to Submit is marked.
• Last, click on the Save icon in the toolbar. The screen should blip, and then a message should appear in the bottom left hand corner, with Log file: syrb601_XXXXXXX.log List file: syrb601_XXXXXXXX.lis. (The X represents a number value.)

You will get an email message in your mailbox called Report Dist., with a hyperlink embedded.

• Click on the link, and a page will pop up in your browser from Information Systems and Computing.
• There should be 4 boxes in the top third of the page—Extract-lad, Report-lis, Status-log, and Status- Logsqr. Under Extract, click on Save.
• Save the file to your desktop—you can rename it at this point if you wish. The Save File Type As should show as Text File. The file extension will show as .lad.
• Open a new Excel workbook, and click on File/Open.
• Find the file that you want to convert to Excel, and click on it, then click Open.
• An instruction wizard will open to walk through the process.
• Click Delimited as file type, and enter the number of the row that will begin your file under Start at Row 1, then click Next.
• In the next screen, click to uncheck Tab and click to check Other. In the box next to Other, enter a vertical line (Shift+ key, above the Enter key). This should show how the file will look in Excel. Everything should line up ok, and if it looks fine, then click Next.
• If the info still looks ok, then click Finish, and the information should pop into your Excel file. You may need to widen some columns and make others smaller, but the basic information should appear in a workable format.
• Save the entire file at this time, and make sure it is saved as Excel Workbook.
• To sort the data, click in the box next to the Header Line. This should highlight the first line. Go to Data/Filter and click on Auto Filter. This will place arrows at the top of each column. Click on the arrow in the column for which you wish to view sort choices. For example, click on Citizenship, choose N, and this will show all non-immigrant international students with outstanding files for your department. If you click on Status, then Out to Department, it will sort and show all files that you need to review.
• To undo the sort, go back to the top arrow, and choose ALL.

Announcements

• Graduate Commencement will be held on May 14, at 3:00pm, in Cassell Coliseum. This year we will introduce some new features including recognition of the recipients of official graduate certificates, performance of an original musical composition celebrating commencement, and visual reflections on the year. Please encourage graduate students, faculty and staff to attend.
• Northern Virginia Center Ceremony will be held May 15, at 8:00pm, at George Mason University. Please share this information with faculty, staff and students.
• The next Dialogue with the Graduate Dean will be held on April 7, 2004 (place to be determined). The tentative topic is Balancing Work-Life in Graduate School.

Deadlines for International Students

The Fall 2004 deadline to accept international students residing outside the United States is May 15. Since the visa application process may take 3-4 months, we must allow sufficient time for students to make all their arrangements. International students are expected to arrive in Blacksburg no later than August 16 and participate in the mandatory international student orientation on August 19.

Departments may request an exception for specific individuals by contacting the immigration advisors (Zelma Harris or Ruth Athanson) in the Graduate School. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis after evaluating the applicant’s chances of getting the immigration paperwork and visa in time to arrive by August 16.

Reminder: Evaluation of the Progress of Graduate Students

The University Council approved a revision to the Annual Progress Review process (Presidential Policy #229). Please utilize this policy in developing and implementing departmental guidelines for conducting annual progress reviews for your graduate students. I also encourage you to incorporate the opportunity for graduate students to read, review and respond to these reviews. It is important that you conduct these reviews annually and share the results with the Graduate School. The Graduate School would like to have a copy of your guidelines – please send a copy to Roger Avery by July 1, 2004.

Work-Life Grants

The Graduate School in collaboration with the College Deans and the Provost has established a Work-Life grant program to provide temporary financial assistance to departments to continue support for female graduate students during pregnancy. This grant program is a result of conversations with concerned graduate students and recommendations from the ADVANCE Pipeline Element working group chaired by Nancy Love (CEE). A description of the program is attached.

Health Insurance Plan and Subsidy

We continue to work with Fred Weaver and GM-Southwest regarding the health insurance plan for graduate students. An open forum for graduate students with Jim Payne (GM-Southwest) will be held April (get information from GSA website)… Please encourage your graduate students to attend. The health insurance subsidy will increase for next year but the exact amount is not yet known.

Recent actions of the Commission on Graduate Study & Policies (CGS&P) & University Council

CGS&P approved the document entitled “Building Graduate Community: Expectations for Graduate Education at Virginia Tech” with editorial changes. The document has also received approval from CSA and the Faculty Senate. Commission of Research is currently reviewing the document. Once all input is received, the document will be made available on the Graduate School webpage.

Graduate School Efforts

• CollegeNet update: The time to submit modifications to the supplementary forms is here. Letters have been sent, via email, to all departments asking for updates.
• Decision posting on the web: Applicants can now see decisions about admissions via the web. This information is provided to better communicate with our applicants. The decision letters sent by post continue to be the official communication. This action is effective immediately.

Work-Life Grants: Maternity

During their time in Graduate School, students routinely face issues of balance among the demands of work (GA, GTA, GRA), graduate study and personal life. Potentially, one of the most important life issues faced by female graduate students is pregnancy. In demonstrating its commitment to be work-life friendly, Virginia Tech needs to provide a supportive environment for female graduate students (and partners) in their choice to give birth while simultaneously acknowledging the department’s need for continuation of the work being provided by the graduate student as a GTA, GRA, or GA.

To this end, the Graduate School has created a program entitled Work-Life Grants through which departments can request temporary financial assistance. Specifically, departments can request financial assistance equivalent to a stipend for 6 weeks. The Graduate School will provide ½ of the 6-week stipend and the College Dean will provide the other ½ of the 6-week stipend. This matching program, work-life grants can provide sufficient resources to the department to find a temporary solution/replacement for the work being conducted by the pregnant graduate student on assistantship (GA, GTA, GRA) while simultaneously continuing her assistantship.

As the situation arises, please submit your request in writing to the Dean of the Graduate School and copied to the College Dean. These requests will be acted upon immediately. The program is effective immediately.

Reminders/Announcements

• Please continue to work within your college for proposals for inclusion on the ’04-’05 Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD). College selected proposals are due at the Graduate School by March 15th.
• Please check your web pages to make sure that all links and information is up to date.
• Graduate Education week is March 22-26. Please send us a list of your departmental events so that we can include them on the master calendar.
• 9th Annual Graduate Preview Weekend is scheduled for February 28 – March 1, 2004.

Graduate Alumni Achievement Award

Last year, the Graduate School and Alumni Association developed the Graduate Alumni Achievement Award. The first award went to Robert C. Richardson (BS ’58, MS ’60 in Physics). I am pleased to announce that Harold L. Martin, Sr. (PhD in EE ’80), Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, is the recipient for 2004. Dr. Martin will be honored during Graduate Commencement on May 14, 2004.

Recent actions of the Commission on Graduate Study & Policies (CGS&P) & University Council

• Changed the requirement of vita as required for ETD to optional.
• Approved guidelines for departments to offer a Bachelor’s/Master’s program option beyond that currently available for Honors students. The approved change is as follows:

     Academic units may petition the Graduate School to combine existing bachelor’s and master’s degree programs into new five-year bachelor/master’s degree (open) programs. These programs would allow undergraduate students with a 3.2 or better GPA and the completion of 75 hours of study to enroll in the Graduate School before completion of their undergraduate requirements.
      Up to 12 hours of graduate coursework may be taken before the completion of the bachelor’s degree. However, a maximum of 6 such hours may be used to satisfy both bachelor’s and master’s degree requirements.

• Reviewed and approved the qualifications required for being the instructor of record for a graduate course. In order to be the instructor of record in a graduate course, one must hold a graduate degree (the terminal degree in the discipline) and cannot be currently enrolled as a graduate student in the same department. Graduate students can be the instructor of record for undergraduate courses and might assist faculty with graduate courses (e.g., providing lectures) but should not be teaching graduate courses.

Independent Study

As you know, Independent Study is a shared responsibility of the faculty and the graduate student and can be set up at the department level. Departments should implement procedures by which the student and faculty come to an agreement about independent study prior to enrollment. Currently, graduate students can enroll in Independent Study without departmental approval. If a department wishes to require prior approval, you can put a departmental block on enrollment in Independent Study.

Graduate School Efforts

• We have modernized the information collected on the paper reference form. Based on the feedback provided we have also included some changes that should make the form more suitable for a wider audience. The new form is available on our website. We are also working with CollegeNet to make the electronic reference letter process more user-friendly. Thanks for your suggestions.
• We continue to work on an automated Admissions Analysis (AA) form. This work should be completed by the end of the semester.